This invention relates to the isolation and purification of a cholesterol-rich fraction from mammalian blood plasma or serum which is useful as a growth medium ingredient.
It is known that cholesterol and cholesterol-containing fractions obtained from bovine serum are useful to promote the growth of various organisms. J. Bacteriol., Vol. 135, pp. 818-827 (1978) describes the use of a cholesterol-containing bovine serum fraction in the growth of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Mycoplasma arthritidis. J. Gen. Microbiology, Vol. 116, pp. 539-543 (1980) describes the use of USP cholesterol in the growth of Treponema hyodysenteriae. U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,774 describes the production of a specific cholesterol-rich fraction from mammalian plasma or serum by an overall process which involves the step of treatment with an alkaline carbonate and an alkaline earth salt. Zeit. Klin. Chem. 6(3), pp. 186-190 (1968) describes the removal of certain lipoproteins from human serum by use of colloidal silicic acid. None of the above prior art discloses or suggests the specific process of the present application or the specific cholesterol-rich fraction produced thereby which is useful as a growth medium ingredient.